Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Ono driver could be an illegal alien

Immigration officials have issued a warrant to detain Yoko Ono's driver, jailed on US$250,000 (HK$1.95 million) bail on charges of trying to blackmail her for US$2 million, while they decide whether the Turkish native is in the United States legally.

The driver, Koral Karsan, 50, who lives in Amityville, New York, was arrested last Wednesday and charged with attempted grand larceny.

He was accused of threatening to release embarrassing material about Ono, the widow of Beatle John Lennon, and possibly have her killed unless she gave him US$2 million.

Karsan's lawyer, Robert Gottlieb, said he had assembled a bail package and hoped to get his client released.

In an extortion letter, Karsan warned Ono he had people "on standby waiting to kill her" on his orders if she crossed him, the prosecutor said. December 8, the day Karsan is accused of handing Ono the extortion letter, was the 26th anniversary of Lennon's death.

As to this: "He was accused of threatening to release embarrassing material about Ono."